Category: Factual
& Arts TV
Date: 25.04.2004
Printable version
Brassed Off Britain - starts Tuesday 4 May, BBC
ONE at 7.00pm
Buying a brand new car and booking a well earned holiday
should be the pleasurable rewards of our hard work in this prosperous
age.
But a brand new BBC ONE series reveals that they are,
in fact, among the ten most frustrating experiences for consumers in
Britain.
Brassed Off Britain has identified the ten service industries
that drive us mad.
And disgruntled consumers across the country will get
the opportunity to vote for the one that brasses them off most of all
over the course of the ten part series.
Also included in the shortlist are the very things that
should make life easier for us but often prove to be more of a headache
than a help.
Consumers told the programme they don't like their banks
- why does it take so long to transfer money between accounts?
And they say mobile phone companies aren't providing
a good enough level of customer service.
And, as Britain experiences its biggest ever housing
boom, estate agents continue to be on everyone's hate list - and trying
to find reliable tradesmen for home improvements is still proving to
be tricky.
The full top ten, in no particular order, is as follows:
Estate Agents
Banks
Junk Mail
Deliveries
New Cars
Holidays
Railways
Home Improvements
Mobile Phone Companies
Call Centres
Brassed Off Britain will investigate exactly why these
industries wind us up - and look at ways of making things better.
And there's undercover filming capturing examples of
customer service at its worst.
The series culminates in a live final in which the industry
voted the worst culprit will be revealed and its representatives called
to account and challenged on how they intend to put things right.
The voting will go live during the first programme.
Viewers can vote through the website - www.bbc.co.uk/bob
- by pushing the red button if they have interactive tv or by calling
09011 98 66 00.
If any of this information is used, BBC ONE's Brassed
Off Britain must be credited.
Notes to Editors
The top ten have been worked out from nominations sent
in by the public - from Watchdog viewers, Radio Times readers, BBC radio
listeners and BBC Online users.
Brassed Off Britain will air twice weekly from 4 May
on Tuesdays and Thursdays and culminates in a live final on 3 June.
The series is presented by Rogue Traders and Scambusters
presenter, Matt Allwright.
The web voting, phone lines and digital satellite vote
will open during the first programme on Tuesday 4 May.
The voting period is from Tuesday 4 May to Thursday
3 June inclusive.
The final vote will be announced during the live final
at 8.00pm on 3 June.
A maximum of five people per household will be allowed
to vote via each platform (e.g. web, telephone and digital satellite)
for each programme over the entire voting period.
Votes by web and phone can be cast at anytime within
the voting period.
For digital satellite voting will be available between
7.00pm and midnight on the evening of each broadcast.
Calls last no more than a minute and cost 10p.
